Folding camp bed



- E. E. MQGREW FOLDING- CAMP BED dN 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

EAR M Ga -5 INVENTOR. I9

TTORNEY FOLDING CAMP BED Filed Nov. 11, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EARL E.wofi zw IINVENTOR.

I BY

TORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL E. MGGREW, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO MCGREW MACHINE COM-PANY, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION NEBRASKA.

FOLDING CAMP BED.

Application filed November 11, 1922. Serial No. 600,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL E. MoGREw, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Folding Camp Beds,of which the following is a specifica tion.

My invention relates to beds, and particularly to the portable foldingbeds which are used in camping and automobile trips.

The rapid introduction of the automobile and the uses towhich it is putin long tourist strips and in short camping trips have created a needfor a camp bed which differs radically from the beds used in the homeand also from those which were fornicrlyused in camping. The cotsformerly used 1n permanent camps are not compact enough for easytransportation in the automobile, The

army cots are foldable into a small space i but they are single, andwhen the sleeping accommodations are considered, their bulk and weightare objectionable, besides their being awkward to set up and to takedown,

and uncomfortable in use. The bed which the automobile tourist demandsmust be light in weight, compact when folded, and comfortable in use. Itmust be integral, with no loose parts which are apt to be lost. It mustbe easily set up and taken down in the minimum of time. It must be veryrugged in construction to wlthstand the rough usage to which it mustnecessarily be subjected.

' The object of my inventlon 1 s the provision of a bed which complieswith all of these conditions, and which at the same time can be made andsold at an attractive price.

Having in view these and other objects which will appear in thedescription, I will now refer to the-drawings, in which- Figure 1 is anisometric view of mybed as it appears when set up and read for use.

Figure 2 is a detail view of tie toggle joint and lock which I use onthe side rails of my bed.

Figure 3 shows the abutment for the leg, as viewed from above.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the bed corner as it appears. when lookingtoward the end of the bed.

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the same bed corner.

Figure 7 shows the construction whereby I adjust the tension of thecanvas of my bed. Figure 8 is a detail showing the construction of thefoot of the bed leg.

Figure 9 shows one of the side rails of my bed in partly foldedposition, the legs being shown in full lines in folded position, and indotted lines as they appear when the bed is in use.

Figure 10' is an edge view of theend of the canvas which is supported bythe springs, and shows the manner of fastening that end of the canvas tothe end rail.

Figure 11 is a view of. the fastening means shown in Figure 10, but asit appears from the under side of the bed.

Figure 12 is a view in isometric projection of a corner of the bed,'andshows the manner of fastening the canvas to the end rail at the endopposite the end rail shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 13 is a view of a portion of the bed frame, the parts being shownin their folded position.

Figures 14 and 15 are details showing the method of securing the legs tothe bed frame.

The end rails 10 of my bed are constructed preferably of angle iron. Ateach end of the end rails 10 is a. downwardly projecting U-shaped strap11 which is suitably braced by means of the brace 12. The braces 12 aresecured at one of their ends to the end rail, whence they passdiagonally underneath the U-shaped straps 11.

The side rails are articulated, the hinges being at or near the middlepoints of the side rails. As shown in Figure 2, a round channeled strip14 is rigidly secured to one of the side rail sections and pivotally secured to the other of the sections. The pivotall connected section hasits end bent into the orm shown in Figure 2 and the pivot pin isositioned near the open edge of the channe ed strip 14 or rathersufficiently re mote from the curved edge of the strip to afford ampleclearance for the inne end of the section to permit the section to swingon its pivot through an arc of suit stantially half a revolution. Theinner end of the rigidly connected section is bevelled on its 1111".

der side so as not to interfere with the foldin of the two sections oneach other into substantial parallel relation.

The portion 13 of the side rails are preferably made from iron or steelpipe. At the extremities of the side rails I secure strips of channeliron 15 and 16 on the upper and under sides respectively. The upperstrip 15 has its ends bent into horizontal parallelism with theintermediate portion serving as a brace and as' a spacing member. Thestrip 16 is straight and rests on the bottom leg of the U-shaped strap11. The free ends of the strips 15 and 16 are connected to the end railby means of a pivot 17 passing through bothle s of the U-shaped strap11, through the on rail 10, and through the ends of the strips 15 and16.

T will now explain the manner in which the bed frame is folded,reference being had particularly to Figures 1, 9 and 13. The togglelocks on both sides of the bed are first broken by merely lifting up onthe side rails 13 near the joints. The frame then assumes the appearancein side elevation as shown in Figure 9. This lifting is continued untilthe two halves of each side rail are substan tially parallel, at whichtime the end rails will be in juxtaposition, with the pivots 17 inalinement with each other, as shown in Figure 13. When this pos'tion isreached, but not before, the folded side rails 13 can be swung on thepivots 17 and folded over against the end rails. When thus folded, thebundle will have the same length as the length of the end rails, or inother words, it will-be as long as the bed is wide when set up. Thewidth of the bundle will be that 0 two end rails placed side by side,while the thickness of the bundle is the thickness of one end rail. Itshould be here noted that despite the extreme compactness of the bedwhen folded, it is absolutely rigid when set up. The pivotal joints ofthe side rail sections lie in a different plane from that of the pivots17, and the pivotal joints of the side rail sections are toggle locked.The toggle joints further provide means for quickly and easilystretching taut the cult vas top of the bed. The bed frame is furtherprovided with means for altering the length of the side rails, for usein case it is desired to have the top of the bed lighter or looser. Iprovide a series of apertures 18 in the side rails 13, as shown inFigures 6 and 7. The bolts which secure the channel iron strips 15 and16 to the side rails pass through a pair of the apertures 18. When thebed is partly folded, the adjust ment can be easily made by removing thebolts, shifting the side rails 13 with respect to the strips 15 and 16,and then inserting the bolts to hold the parts in adjusted position. Toavoid warping and unnecessary strains, the adjustment of the two siderails should be equal.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the two sections of each side rail are inalignment when the bed is set up but the pivot is slightlyout ofalignment with the sections. Were the tension of the bed top exerted ina horizontal plane below the pivot, the toggle latch would open underthe tension of the bed top. The bed top is however positionedappreciably above this point and its tension is therefore exerted tohold the sections of the side rail in latched relation. This tension,especially when the bed is occupied, is powerful enough to eliminate allpossibility of the accidental opening of the latch, but this arrangementof parts has a still greater advantage in connection with the foldingand unfolding of the bed. The first step in the folding of the bed isthe unlatching of the toggles, and as before explained, this will beresisted by the tension of the bed top. This resistance will continueuntil the pivotal points of the side rail sections reach the level ofthe bed top, at which point the side rail sections will be in deadcenter relation. After this position is passed, the tension of the bedtop will spend itself in assisting in the further folding of the siderail sections on each other. Likewise in setting up the bed the tensionin the bed top increases until the dead center position has beenreached, after which the side rail sections snap into their latchedposition under the tension of the bed top.

My bed is supported on four legs 19. lit is essential that the legs befoldable into the space occupied by the bed when folded, and it isimportant the folding structure be of the utmost simplicity. On theupper surface of the channeled strip 15 T secure an l. shaped bracket20. preferably by means of a weld or rivets. To the upstanding arm ofthe bracket 20 T secure a pivot pin 21 which passes through the upperend of the leg 19, the structure being clearly shown in Figures 14: and15. To the under side ofthc side rail I secure a notched plate 22, shownbest in Figure 3. The plate 22 serves as an abutment for the leg whenthe bed is set up. li also provide a resilient clip 23 for guiding themovement of the leg when setting up or when folding the bed. As shown inFigure 6, the clip 23 is so bent near both its ends that the leg will bercaleasably latched in both of its normal positions.

The leg 19 is preferably constructed out of sheet steel whichis roundedinto channel form, being til-shaped in cross section. lit is so mountedthat its curved edge rests in the notch of the plate 22, the notch beingdesigned to prevent any side play in the leg when the bed is in use. Thefoot 24 is made by bending over one of the sides of the U- lit) ' shapedleg with the foot projecting past the other side. This gives amplefooting on soft or wet ground.

The bed top is made of canvas reinforced with inelastic webbing, asshown in Figures 1 and 11. One end of the canvas is secured directly tothe end rail while the other end is spring mounted on the other endrail, and in both mountings I have added several novel. features ofconsiderable importance. In many of the camping beds at present on themarket, the springs give a great deal of trouble, owing to the tendencyof the connections to kink. To avoid this and other troubles, I providethe structure shown in detail in Figures 10 and 11. The clip is madefrom two similarly shaped pieces of metal, preferably sheet steel. Bothpieces have apertures 26 for the reception of the end of the spring. Iprefer to spot wold the two pieces together at theend which pro jectsbeyond the edge of the canvas. The portion of each piece 25 whichoverlaps the canvas is provided with apertures for the reception ofbolts or rivets and with inward-- 1y pressed teeth, as shown in Figure11. The clips are secured to the folded edge of the canvas and areposit-ioned'centrally on the end edge of the reinforcing web. The rivetsor bolts hold the two parts of the clip 25 tightly together, and theinwardly extending teeth grip the fabric at practically all points ofthe clip, thus avoiding the warping and the tearing of the fabricthrough unequal strains. The opposite end of the spring is securedthrough an aperture 27 t0 the hinge 28 which is bolted to the end rail10. While the securing means here used might be varied, I prefer the useof bolts or other suitable separable fasteners.

On the opposite end rail, which for this purpose I designate by thenumeral 10 in Figure 12. I employ a somewhat different form of fasteningdevice for the canvas. The canvas at this end is lapped to form a loop,and in the loop I insert-a rod or piece of wire 29, and I then clamp theend of the canvas against the upper surface of the end rail 10' by meansof the bar 30. The bar 30 is secured to the rail 10' by means of boltsor other fasteners which can be released when desired. It sometimesbecomes desirable after the bed has had considerable usage, that thefabric be cleaned, and for this reason I have purposely made the wholetop or cover of the bed removable so that it can easily be'washed. I

After the bed frame is folded, the loop of canvas is wrapped around thefolded frame a nd-is held in position by straps or cords. I

prefer however to insert straps'31 of suitable length under the bar 30,where they will be tightly clamped. Like every other part of the bed,the strap .is thus secured to the bed where it cannot be lost,misplaced, or

left behind when breaking camp. Because there are no detachable partsand there is nothing to unfasten, and because of the WVhen the bed isfolded, the bundle is 48 inches long and occupies a space of less thanone cubic foot, weighing about forty five pounds, Because of the variousnovel features in the construction, the rigidity of the bed increaseswith the weight that is placed upon it. It will thus be seen that thebed is compact, exceedingly strong, and very convenient in use.

Having thus described my invention and its advantages, what I believe tobe new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1.A folding camp bed comprising 'end and side members, and a. top securedto the end members and adapted to be stretched between the same when theside members are extended, each of "saidside members comprising a pairof tubular sections arranged when extended to-lie substantially inrelative coaxial alinement, one'of said tubular sections being bent atan angle at its end, a

channel member for the pair ofsections secured to the other section andadapted to receive the bent portion of said first section. and a. pivotconnecting said bent'port-ion of the first section to the channel membernear the open side thereof, said bed top beingadapted to maintain thesections of the side members undertensi'on when the bed is set up and tomaintain the sections 'of each side member in coaxial alinement at oneside of the pivot thereof and adjacent the closed side of the channelmember for locking the side sections in extended position.

2. In a folding camp bed, a corner con 'struction comprising an endrail, a. spacing member secured to the end portion of the end rail, aside rail, diverging connecting members on the endof said siderailprojecting into said spacing member, and a normally vertical pivotsecuring the connecting members in the spacing member to admit the freeswinging of said side rail into position beneath the end rail.

3. A folding camp bed comprising a pair of end members,'a pair of sidemembers.

the upper horizontal extension resting on' the upper edge of saidendrail, an upwardly and outwardly inclined bracket secured to the siderail with its upper or outer end resting against the under surface ofsaid end rail, a bar secured to said side rail and ex tending inalignment therewith with its outer end resting against the lowerhorizontal extension of the first said bar, a ve-r tical pivot pinthrough both of the horizontal extensions of the first said bar andthrough said end rail and said bracket and said second bar, and a legsecured to said bracket.

5. A bed corner including an end rail and a side rail, said end railbeing positioned above and beyond the extremity of said side rail, anupwardly and outwardly inclined bracket uniting said end and side rails,a leg connected by a horizontal transverse pivot to said bracket, anabutment for said leg when the leg is in its supporting position, and aguide for confining the movements of said pivoted leg, said guideincluding an abutment for the leg when in its folded position andincluding also releasable latches for holding the leg in both itssupporting position and in its folded position 6. A bed corner includingan end rail and a side rail, said end railbeing positioned above andbeyond the extremity of said side rail, bars pivotally connected to saidend rail adjacent its extremity and underneath thereof, one of said barshaving its inner end resting on the upper surface of said side rail, theother of said bars having its inner end resting against the undersurface of said side rail, aligning apertures in the portions of saidbars which overlap said side rail, a series of apertures in said siderail, and a bolt passing through the aligning apertures of said bars andthrough any one of the series of apertures in said side rail foradjusting the length of the bed and for securing the end and side railsin adjusted position.

7. In a folding camp bed, a, side rail, legs pivotally connected to theupper portion of said side rail with the pivotal connections spaced fromthe extremities of said side rail, said legs being adapted to swing in avertical plane which is'parallel to the side rail, a plate secured tothe under side at each end of the side rail, said plates having notchesin their inner edges, said notches being positioned in the paths of thepivoted legs whereby the plates serve as abutments for the legs when thelegs arein their supporting position, a guide at each end of said siderail for preventing lateral displacement of said legs each of saidguides being spaced laterally from said side rail and having its endssecured to said side rail, said guide including an abutment for said legwhen the leg is in its folded position and including also latches forreleasably holding the leg in either its supporting or its foldedposition.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EARL E. MCGREW.

